RECTIFYING THE RROD IN AN XBOX 360 CONSOLE

XBOX 360 being a highly preferred gaming console in the US, it’s the owner’s responsibility to maintain it in good condition. Over playing of XBOX 360 games for hours together lead to overheating of the processor which in turn gives rise to the three red rings of death. If not, due to longer periods of usage. The RROD is quite frustrating to the user. Switching ON the console, the user can observe three thin strips out of the four emitting red light exhibiting the malfunctioning of the XBOX360, which means the console is unable to boot up. Such situations are quite common among regular XBOX users.

Newbie XBOX 360 users facing the RROD problem are advised to get it fixed with concerned technicians at Microsoft provided the warranty sticker is still available just below the faceplate. If the console exhibits such faults within the warranty period, user may get it fixed by a technician for free of cost or else replaced with a new console within the limits. Regarding this, the user has to check with the XBOX dealer.  

Of late, many users have come up with “Do-it-yourself” technique. Many such users of the XBOX360 console have discovered various methods in rectifying the Red Ring of Death. Let’s check out one such method.

Procedure for repairing RROD in an XBOX 360:

1. At first, an XBOX 360 user should disconnect the power cable and also the AV cable
2.  Clip out and open both the side plastic covers enclosing the hard disk with a bit of force. 
3. Get an appropriate screwdriver set for unscrewing. Carefully undo the center and side tabs with a flat head screwdriver. Then pull off the side body cover.
4. Change the flat tipped with a star head. Unscrew all the 14 screws fastened on the inner covering flat plate. Then invert it upside down and remove the bottom cover. Just before that, the repairer should remove the eject button of the CD driver.
5. Securely, unfix the CD driver SATA cables and place the driver aside. Remove the tab securing the daughter board and the latter too by unscrewing the three screws.
6. Next, the user should take care while undoing the plastic enclosure securing the GPU, the processor chips and the fan set cooling these units.
7. Remove the power cable clip of the fans and using a flat screwdriver un-hook the fans and pull it out with some force.
8. Using an air blower, the XBOX 360 repairer can blow out dust settled on the intricate electronic components like the capacitors and resistors.
9. Gently pullout the motherboard from the casing and place the case away. Invert the circuit board and remove the X-clamp securing the mini-power module. The user should store the washers and screws till rebuilding process starts.
10. Lift up and out the thick metal plate securing the processor chips, followed by cleaning the processor surface for which the user requires a cleaner liquid, a purifier, 8 to 10 cotton swabs and a thermo compound paste. The entire kit is available online at Amazon.com.
11. Dip the cotton head portion of a cotton swab into the cleaner solution and rub gently with very little force on the surface of the thick steel plate which seats upside down and covers the XBOX 360 processor from the top, surface of the processor and step down transformer. This is done until the old sticky thermo-paste material is removed and the surface of the processor chips start shining.
12. Using another cotton swab, the XBOX user should dip it in purifier solution and repeat the same procedure.
13. Now, apply a fresh thin lining of thermo-compound paste on the surface of the processor chips and then smear it evenly with a key card. Invert the motherboard and put the screws in those grooves loosely and cover it with sticking tapes to secure the loose screws. Again invert it, place the washers through the screw stem and place the thick metal box plate over the processor chips and the step down transformer in its region. 
14. Now, the console repairer has to peel off the tapes and tighten those screws to secure the metal plate over the XBOX360 GPU and the two chips. The repairer can assure that the processor is secured.
15. Keep the entire arrangement of motherboard into the bottom steel casing (chassis). 
16. Place the CD driver in its position and connect the SATA cables to its power pins followed by refitting the daughterboard, the eject button, steel casing and outer body covers. After, reassembling the console unit, the XBOX user should reconnect the power cable and AV cable of TV in respective ports. Switching ON, the XBOX360 starts to boot up as it was performing before the RROD.  The user can enjoy favorite video games like HALO SERIES as before.

The try-yourself-method is one of the most challenging and interesting method solution for rectifying the red ring of death in an XBOX 360 gaming console. If this method doesn’t turn out to be successful, the XBOX 360 user can get the help of a professional XBOX repairing technician.

        

     

Importance of flashing an XBOX 360 gaming console

Having owned an XBOX 360 for 300$, a gamer always feels excited to unpack the brand new enclosed unit and begin the gaming journey. Though the gaming console runs all high quality games at required speed without a lag, no video gaming backup CDs are compatible with this unit. This is where the importance of flashing an XBOX360 gaming console comes into play.

XBOX 360 is the most popular gaming console used by both hardcore and casual gamers in the US and the UK. Being the best gaming unit, Microsoft has programmed it to perform many more functions than just executing video game CDs. A flashed XBOX 360 console is engineered to execute and run backed up CDs. Implementation of flashing technology has huge benefits for all new gamers as well as the hardcore gaming community. 

A flashed console of XBOX 360 can successfully run gaming CDs possessing different region codes. Other than that, this upgraded design has capacity to download and play games which are available in torrents. This exquisite flash equipped gaming console has added advantage of downloading and playing music videos and movies of varied types.  

Before taking a step further, it is important for gamers to know about flashing an XBOX360. Downloading and installing a firmware upgrading software improvises the existing software with more functions and exhibits the above mentioned functions. On Google searching about firmware upgrading software, a video gamer can come across plenty downloading options which perform the same function and results are same.

Newbie gamers with their first XBOX 360 console on a table need to be extra cautious when opening the enclosed unit for flashing. If the DVD drive inside breaks or gets stuck up, there are chances of warranty period getting void. Being a newbie XBOX 360 owner, it’s important for the individual to vouchsafe an encrypted key connected to the particular drive. Losing it may resemble the XBOX 360 as a dead brick. Firware upgrading software like the popular Jungle flasher can be downloaded followed with backing up the key to proceed further.

Nowadays, XBOX360 gaming console is attached with either of the three most popular branded DVD drives like the BENQ, a Lite-On or a Samsung. It won’t be a surprise to observe an old modeled Hitachi drive connected with this marvelous gaming instrument.

For checking the above mentioned brands, the newbie user has to find for the marked hole by unscrewing the DVD drive. Lite-On DVD drives come with yellow cables, gray cables or white colored ones is an indication for BENQ and for Samsung its red/black colored. All three brands are compatible with Microsoft’s XBOX 360. 

Tools like Torx screwdrivers (7, 10, 12) sizes, firware upgrading software and computer with SATA type connectors are essential for upgrading a normal XBOX360 into a flash type. The XBOX360 DVD drive power lead should be within the drive itself and the main power chord of the gaming unit should be plugged in the outlet but retained in Off position. Unplug and disengage the cable connecting the XBOX360 console and the DVD drive. Cross wired SATA cables should be used for connecting the SATA port in the PC with the DVD drive in the console unit.

The XBOX owner can check for green light flashing after turning ON the console. During this stage, the console shifts to Mode B and the computer begins to perceive the DVD drive. The drive starts to boot up on turning the computer ON. It’s a great experience for all types of gamers may it be casual or hardcore.  

               

     

XBOX360 – Teens getting glued to video games

At the first release of the XBOX 360 gaming console in 2005, huge crowd had gathered at the arena from different parts of the US to witness the unleashing of this fantastic unit. Sales of this console skyscraping to meet the demand. Since then, the XBOX 360 has been a household property of each resident in the US. Right from adolescents to oldsters, everyone prefers playing their favorite video games on this well designed gaming console.

In the US, a countrywide survey report on the XBOX video gaming reveals teens getting glued to video games. Video games like the GTA IV, The Call of Duty series, Forza motorsport-3, Halo-3 and Far Cry 3 exhibit real life experience to the player. Let’s read through some gaming titles and how good they perform with the XBOX 360 console.

 With a massive 1.2 teraflops of game processing power and 8-core, 1.6 GHz chip with a GPU configuration of 768 thread-packing, role playing video games like the GTA-IV create an awesome gaming environment for the teens to get the full advantage of the XBOX 360 console.

The best part of this XBOX 360 video game is the innovative remodeling of The Liberty City having resemblances of places in New York City. Apart from this, deletion of unwanted spaces such as the desert and countryside areas within the gaming program has been well appreciated by gamers. With high quality graphics and illustrations, it has replaced the previous version. Story of this game is centered on a layman called Nicko Bellic who lands in the US with desire to make more money but eventually turns into a gangster indulging in corruption and crime.  

The game has awesome features like open world gaming and has elements extracted from driving games and third person shooter. The seventh generation games like the above were released in late 2005. To enjoy the game of GTA IV, it is worth owning an XBOX 360 and experience the virtually real sequences of shooting in real time.